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People at very high risk of contracting coronavirus due to health problems, who were forced to protect themselves during the pandemic, have been given the same priority as those over 70 years of age to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.
People aged 18 and over who are considered ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ are in the same priority group as those aged 70 and over, according to the provisional list of priority vaccines published by Public Health England.
It means that people with conditions such as blood, bone or lung cancer, chronic kidney disease and Down syndrome have been placed in priority group four out of nine.
The updated list, which is subject to approval by the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for a vaccine supply, also lists conditions that are in priority group six for at-risk adults ages 18 to 65.
These include people diagnosed with diabetes, chronic heart disease, and morbid obesity.
The provisional guide, advised by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), says that the order of priority should be: older adults in nursing homes and workers in nursing homes; those aged 80 and over and health and social care workers; those 75 years and more; those aged 70 and over and clinically extremely vulnerable people, excluding pregnant women and those under 18 years of age.
Everyone 65 and older, adults ages 18 to 65 in a risk group, those 60 and older, 55 and older, and people 50 and older make up the rest of the list.
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Gemma Peters, Executive Director of the Blood Cancer UK charity, said: “This is very good news. Placing people with blood cancer at the same priority level as those over 70 better reflects the fact that they are especially vulnerable to coronavirus. “
Peters added: “Any vaccine may not work as well in people with blood cancer, so vaccinating the people around them is a vital part of protecting them. We are very grateful to the government for having heard the voices of people with blood cancer and other health conditions in this regard.
“It is also important to remember that this is definitely not the final priority list. Vaccines have not yet been approved and we are awaiting confirmation that any vaccine will be safe and effective for people with blood cancer. “
The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine was the first to submit its data for review by the MHRA last week.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said 10 million doses will be available in the UK by the end of the year out of the 40 million he has ordered.
Meanwhile, hospitals have been told to prepare to launch a coronavirus injection in as little as 10 days, and NHS workers are expected to be at the front of the queue, The Guardian learned. Problems with the transport and storage of the vaccine, which must be kept at low temperatures, mean that healthcare personnel, such as GPs, cannot easily transport it to nursing homes and the elderly to administer the vaccine first.
